Klarinet Archive - Posting 000905.txt from 1997/10

From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Looking for Bass Clarinet in A
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 11:31:07 -0400

*sigh*

Yes, Dan Leeson emailed me privately to let me know the same. What I told
him was that the works you mentioned below DO call for notes below Eb,
but, during the sections that call for the A Bass Clarinet, they do
not.....thus, I was incorrect that one must have a low C extension on an A
bass clarinet to play those works that DO call for notes below Eb (but
only during the Bb sections......)....!

I think I owe Dan a pizza.

Roger Garrett

On Wed, 22 Oct 1997, ROBERT HOWE wrote:

> Roger Garrett wrote:
> >
> > I would suggest that an A bass clarinet without the C extension would be a
> > great waste of money.......many of the parts calling for A Bass Clarinet
> > ask for the clarinetist to drop below a low Eb.
>
> Perhaps this is true of 1990's works, but such should never call for A
> bass clarinet. Name me a piece by Wagner, Strauss, Mahler, that call
> for A bass clarinet to play a note below written E, three lines below
> the treble staff, sounding C# two lines below the bass staff. THere are
> none.
>
> THe whole problem for us is that these folks treated A, Bb clarinets as
> a pair, also D and Eb (Till, Le Sacre, Mazeppa), bass clarinets
> likewise. But the bottom note was written E!!, and we modern bass
> clarinettists now have a low Eb on our beasties to accomodate this
> tone. THe low C arises from Russian scores and tradition (see Rimsky's
> text of orchestration, Prokfiev symphonies etc) which give the bass
> clartinet the same low compass as the faggot. IE, a low C on Bb.
>
> Perversely, the Schoenberg 5 Pieces for orch call for a CONTRABASS
> clarinet in A.
>
> Most orchestration textbooks cover this in detail....
>
> RObert Howe
>